Shakhrisabz - the birthplace of the Great Tamerlan

What to expect

Hello dear guests!

In this one-day excursion we will get acquainted with the mountain landscapes surrounding Samarkand. Let's discover the "Devil's Plateau", where parts of the movie "Apache" were filmed. Let's see the mountain market and try mountain dried fruits. We will eat delicious “Tandir”, lamb meat, which is prepared in a restaurant located on the top of the mountains and head to Tamerlane’s rodin, Shakhrisabz. There we study the history of the revival of the empire of Timur and the Timurids.

What to expect:

The Devil's Plateau, where huge boulders are located, strange stones are scattered throughout the valley, have fantastic shapes, reminiscent of either the faces of demons, or the features of pagan deities, or the figures of wild animals. “Heart-stone” - with a through hole in the shape of a heart, nature created with the help of the wind of the currents of many years, is located 30 km south of Samarkand, on the road to Amankutana.

Ak-Saray was built by order of Tamerlane after his campaign against Khorezm. The estimated start of construction of the monument is 1379, and at the moment only two separate entrance portals, whose height is more than 40 meters, have been preserved.

The Dor-us Saodat complex was intended for the entire Temurid dynasty and was built after the sudden death of Temur’s beloved son, Jahongir, in 1376. After his death, Jahongir’s body was transported from Samarkand to Shakhrisabz, to the historical homeland of his ancestors. A few years later, Temur summoned the best architects from Khorezm and ordered them to build the Mausoleum of Jahongir over the prince’s grave. The chronicler of Temur's court, Sharafiddin Yazdi, wrote: “On the left and right sides of the façade of the building, he ordered that maqbarat (tomb) buildings and a new khazira be built for Emirzade Jahongir and other descendants and members of the aristocracy.”

The Kuk Gumbaz mosque was built in 1435 by order of Ulugbek, grandson of Timurlane, which became the largest mosque in Shakhrisabz. This mosque was built on the foundation of a pre-Mongol mosque and presents a striking example of the Persian style.